Waiting to Surface
by danceforevergirl
Summary: Draco watching during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and thinking about Harry and their friendship. Probably one-shot unless requested.


My breath catches in my throat as I look over the surface of the lake. It glitters and gleams, with no disturbances to spoil the diamond-like effect. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a dark figure rising up to meet the clear air above the frigid water.

I couldn't be him, could it?

It isn't. I sigh as I hear the loud cries and clapping as Viktor Krum emerges from the lake, out of breath, a shark head that had been his method of breathing starting to fade away. He's toting Hermione Granger under his arm, not caring that she's sputtering, spitting out water and coughing.

He heaves himself up onto the platform, pulling the girl behind her, a blanket now wrapped around his and his hostage's shoulders. Shivering, they sit there, Viktor clutching his wand and trying to perform a drying spell to no avail.

Where is he? Cedric and Krum already surfaced, and the girl should be here any minute. So where is he? He hasn't given up yet, he couldn't have. Harry Potter doesn't give up.

I whirl around at the sound of someone breaking the surface. A flash of white-blonde hair and blue cloth catches my eye. The Beauxbatons girl. Peering to see her hostage, I realize she's empty-handed. An arm extends to help her up onto land and I can't help but gasp at her state. She has weeds entwined around her legs and cuts cover her arms and face, horribly disfiguring her.

"_Ze_ grindylows," she manages to spit out, "_Ze_ grindylows got me."

A few blankets are now wrapped around her and her legs cut loose. With a few waves of her wand, Madame Pomfrey heals most of her scratches and cuts, and the few that she can't, she dabs a pasty, grey substance over.

Fleur's eyes light up with fear and suddenly she yells out, pointing and hurting my ears with the sudden sound.

"Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"

I turn to see what she's pointing at, and I sharply inhale with relief at the sight of green eyes and a familiar black mop of hair, now matted against his forehead, dripping wet. What look like gills on the sides of his neck, have almost disappeared and instead of one body being dragged along behind him, there are two.

I automatically recognize Ron Weasley, but the other girl I've never seen before. She looks like a mini Fleur, with her hair and beauty, but seems about grade-school age.

"Gabrielle!"

The young girl gets pulled up by Fleur, who rocks her limp body slowly and listens for a heartbeat.

"Gabrielle, Gabrielle," she cries breathlessly, full of relief, as what I assume to be her little sister opens her eyes and coughs up a stream of water.

I feel tears in my eyes as I run up to the black-haired boy, now huddled up on the floor, concealed in a pile of blankets. I place my hand on his shoulder and feel his shudder as he turns around.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

He looks into my eyes with a cold glare, but when glimpsing the tears, his expression softens.

"Sorry. You scared me, the hand on my shoulder, like the grindylows, you know? Why'd you come over here anyways? I have a feeling you don't want to congratulate me, I came in last."

"You might not have placed last. After all, you did save two hostages."

The relief from seeing Harry pop up, safe from the lake, was starting to wear off, and I felt relaxed for the first time all day. I sat myself down next to him and listened as he replied.

"I doubt that'll matter anything. Anyways, they weren't in any real danger."

"But you were noble. You helped others, even though they weren't yours to help. That's what makes you such a good person."

A look of confusion crossed the boy's face, causing him to furrow his brow and purse his lips together.

"What's this all about, Malfoy? Another joke? I'm not that stupid, you know. I can tell when you're trying to mess with my head. Just grace me with a reason for why you're doing this."

I understand his thinking. I've been nothing but cruel to him since first year, and now I'm trying to comfort him? I don't blame him. Not at all.

"You know Harry? I've been terrible to you. Absolutely terrible. And, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the things I did to you, and I'm also sorry it took me four years to realize my mistakes. I've always admired you, and now when you were in there," I gestured towards the lake, "I was scared for you. If anything had happened, I would just die inside, knowing I never got to tell you how sorry I truly am."

He only stared at me, eyes wide.

"And I know you don't believe me, but I wish I was you sometimes. You're always true to yourself and your friends, and you never give up. Everything wrong with me, you have right in you. Please, just believe me when I say this... Please Harry?"

He blinked, taking everything in, and then reached out his arms and wrapped me in a wet embrace. He then pulled away and whispered with surety in his voice.

"Forgiven. It's all behind us now. Okay?"

"Thank you Harry."

I pulled him in for another hug, knowing everything was well.


End file.
